Car-underframe



R. C. TAFT. CAR UNDERFRAME. APPLICATION FILEDJUNE 19, 1919.

1,340,576. Patented May 18, 1920.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET l l "P66 Zgz. j

R. C. TAFT.

CAR UNDERFRAME.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9.v IIIIQ.

Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CII

to side of the carbelow said sills.

ROBERT C. TAFT, 0F MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

CAR-UNDERFRAME.

Application filed .Tune 19,

To all wibo/m, t may concern.'

Be it lrnown that I, ROBERT C. TAET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car Underframes, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

My invention relates to improvements i underframes of cars, and particularly to the construction thereof at the intersection of thebody-bolster and draft members or cen ter-sills.

The object of my invention is to provide a continuous construction particularly oi the backbone of a car, that is, through the body-bolster in the longitudinal line of the draft members and center-sills,'so as not to detract from the strength andability of the underframe to transmit the heavy pulling andbuiiing .strains to which the car is subject, and a further object is to ill in the spacebetween the body-bolster and the adjacent ends ofthe sub-sills, and the bolster and the rear ends of the draft-members substantially as hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the portion of the underframe of a railway car adjacent to the inner section of the draft-sills and center-sills at the intersection of the bolster having my improvements applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof taken on dotted line 2, 2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. v3 is a transverse section taken on dotted line 8, 3, Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 isa view similar to that shown in Fig. 1 and disclosing a modified construction of myinvention.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of said modified construction taken on dottedsline 5, 5, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is asimilar transverse section taken on dotted line 6, 6, Fig. 4.

In the drawings A represents the centersills of the underframe of car, which are designed to extend from end to end of the same; 6 the fiooring supported above and upon said center-sills, and 7, a transverse metal I-beam bolster extending from side The cen- -tersills consist preferably, of wooden beams, .the outerand under sides of each of which *Speeicaton' of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

191e. serial No. 305,398.

are, particularly in the vicinity of the bolsters, reinforced and strengthened by av metal reinforcing plate, B, that is L-shaped in cross-section.

Draft-members 8 are secured in any suitable manner to the under sides of the center sills in front of the bolster, an'dsubfsills l2 are secured to the under sides kof said centersills at the rear of the bolster, but thereis a spaceleft between the rear ends of saiddraft membersand the 4bolster' and the adjacent ends of said sub-sills and said bolster.

It is the principal object of my invention to fill in the space between the ends of the draft members and the bolster and theends of the sub-sills and the bolster. This I accomplish by means ofv cast metal blocks 13, which are interposed between the `draft members and the bolster, and blocks 18, which are inserted between the sub-sills and the bolster. The edges of these blocks are flanged. The forward `vertical edges s of blocks 13 are vsecured to the adjacent ends of the draft members by means ofangle irons 15, one fiange of whichbeingriveted to the flange ofl the block and 'the vother fiange to the web of the draft members, substantially as shown. The rear portion of the upper edges of these blocks 13 are rabbeted to form seat 5 for the ianges of the bolster. The depth of blocks 13 is such that their upper edges bear against the under side of the horizontal portion of the reinforcing plates 7,.and the lower edges thereof are In a horizontal plane slightly below the horizontal plane of the 'lower iianges of the draft-sills and said lower edges are provided with arforward extension or lug 14, which is riveted to the` lower flange of the draft-sill. lThe rear portion of the said lower edges are rabbeted to form seat 5 for the loweriianges of the bolster.

The depth of the draft members in front ofl the bolster is preferably greater than that of the sub-sills at the rear thereof. The cast metal blocks 18, hereinbefore referred to, substantially corresponds to block 13. The upper edge of each block 18, is similarly rabbeted to provide seat 5, for the upper rearwardly projecting flange of the bolster, and near its lower edge said block 18, has a lug 19, projecting rearwardly therefrom which laps against the under side of the Vforward endv of the sub-sillsubstan- .tially ,as shown.

In 4v of the drawings `I @show a ends of the sub-sills.

slightly modified construction of my invention. In this modification each draft member 25 and the superposed reinforcing plate 22 are cast in one piece of metal. The rear ends of the draft members terminate in the same relative point as the draft members in the preferred form of my invention, but the integral reinforcing plates 22 arch over and extend to the rear of the bolster and form inverted sockets or seats for the adjacent This modification employs blocks 17 and 20, which are the counterparts of blocks 13 and 1S of the preferred form of my invention, excepting that the forward portion of the under edges of the blocks 20, are rabbeted to accommodate and provide seats for the rear lower flange of the bolster.

In both the preferred and modified forms above described, a bolt 30 extends through the rearwardly projecting lug of the blocks 18 and 20 which extends up to and has its head countersunk in the flooring of the car, and in both of said construction bolts 31 and 32 extend down from the floor in which their heads are countersunk through the upper flanges of the bolster and the flanges of the upper rabbeted edges of both blocks 13, and 18, in the preferred form and blocks 2O of the modified form of my invention.

I do not wish to be confined to the exact shape or dimensions of the blocks hereinbefore described, as it is obvious they may be changed to suit the changed design of the underframe in connection with which they may be used, and said blocks may be used in connection with underframes in which the draft rigging is directly attached to the center-sills, or attached to draft members secured to and placed below said centersills.

What I claim as new is: l

1. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-bolsters and draftmembers the rear ends of which do not come in contact with said bolsters, of blocks interposed between said draft-members and said bolsters, said body-bolster, blocks and draft-members being permanently attached to each other so that the strain upon the draft-members will be continuous from end to end of the car.

2. In an under-frame for cars the combination with the body-bolsters and central longitudinal disposed sills that extend between said bolsters, but do not come in direct contact therewith, of blocks interposed between the ends of said sills and said bolsters, said sills and bolster being permanently attached to each other through the medium of said blocks.

3. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-bolsters, draft-members the rear ends of which do not come incontact with 'said bolsters, and central longitudinally disposed sills that extend between said bolsters but do not contact therewith, of blocks interposed between the said ends of said draft-members and bolsters and the adjacent ends of sills and said bolsters, said draft-members, body-bolsters, sills and blocks being permanently attached to each other so as to transmit the pulling and butfing strains through said blocks continuously from end to end of the car.

4. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-bolsters and draftmembers the rear ends of which do not come in contact with said bolsters, of blocks which are flanged to receive the body bolsters and the sills and which are interposed between said draft-members and said bolster.

5. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-bolsters and draftmembers the rear ends of which do not come in contact with said bolsters of blocks interposed between said draft-members and said bolster and having one of its horizontal edges rabbeted to provide a seat for one of the flanges of the bolster.

6. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-bolsters, and central longitudinal disposed sills that extend between said bolsters, but do not come in direct contact therewith, of blocks interposed between the ends of said sills and said bolsters and having one of its 'horizontal edges rabbeted to provide a seat for one of the flanges of the bolster. v

7. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-bolsters and draftmembers the rear ends of which do not come in contact with said bolsters of blocks interposed between said draft-members and said bolster and having the rear portion of its horizontal edges rabbeted to accommodate and provide seats for the flanges of the bolster.

8. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-bolsters and draftmembers the rear ends of which do not come in ycontact with said bolsters, of blocks interposed between said draft-members and said bolster and having a lug projecting forward from their lower forward corners that lap under and are secured to the rear ends of the draft-members.

9. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-bolsters and central longitudinal disposed sills that extend between said bolsters, but do not come in direct contact therewith, of blocks interposed between the ends of said sills and said bolsters, and'having a lug projecting rearward from their lower rear corners that lap under and are secured to the near ends of the sills. V

10. In an underframe for cars the combination with -the body-bolsters and draftmembers the rear ends of which do not come in contact with said holsters, of blocks interposed in and conforming in outline to the space between said draft-members and said bolster and having a lug projecting forward from their lower forward corners that laps under and is secured to the rear ends of the draft members.

11. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-holsters and central longitudinal disposed sills that extend between said holsters, hut do not come in direct contact therewith, of blocks interposed in and conforming in outline to the space between the ends of said sills and said holsters and having a lug projecting rearward from their lower rear corners that lap under and are secured to the near ends of the sills.

l2. In an underframe for cars the combination with the body-holsters, draft-memof blocks that conform in outline to and are interposed in the spaces between the said ends of said draft-members and holsters and the adjacent ends of sills and said holsters, said blocks having lugs projecting from the lower corners thereof farthest from said holsters that extend under and are secured to said draft-members and sills respectively.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of June, 1919.

ROBERT C. TAFT.

lVtnesses FRANK D. THOMASON, VIOLET VARDELL. 

